Building Healthy Communities: One Funder’s Place-Based Approach to Help Neighborhoods Transform Themselves

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This NYSHealth report takes a look at the key successes, challenges, and lessons learned to date of the Foundation’s work in six neighborhoods across New York State to create healthier communities.

Three years ago, NYSHealth launched a new priority area, Building Healthy Communities, focused on improving access to healthy, affordable foods and safe places for physical activity in six diverse neighborhoods throughout New York State: Clinton County; Brownsville, Brooklyn; East Harlem, Manhattan; Near Westside, Syracuse; North End, Niagara Falls; and Two Bridges, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. NYSHealth grantees are partnering with community-based organizations, government agencies, local businesses, advocacy groups, additional funders, and other stakeholders on a range of efforts to empower residents to lead healthier, more active lives. Place-based investments take time to yield long-lasting, sustainable results, but the accomplishments, challenges, and lessons learned over the first few years can inform approaches to improving community health.

The report documents NYSHealth’s approach to develop the new priority area; identify targeted neighborhoods, partners, and grantees; adapt and adjust its work over time; and assess its progress and impact. It also spotlights accomplishments and challenges of the first three years of NYSHealth’s work in this area. Evaluation efforts and results to date in this place-based investment are highlighted, along with technical assistance activities to further support the neighborhoods in achieving their goals. The report concludes with a look ahead at next steps for community transformation in these six neighborhoods, as NYSHealth has reauthorized its commitment to this initiative for an additional three years through 2020.

500k
Number of New Yorkers represented in the six Building Healthy Communities neighborhoods

$181M
The amount of additional funding leveraged at the close of this initiative’s first three years